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Still green....
I've written for suggestions before, and have tried them all...but, I STILL
have a nasty, green pond. I had clear water for 1 week since spring. I'm really discouraged and do not know what to do. I had that "floating" algae for over a month, that has stopped, but I still can't see my fish. Plenty of plants, although they are not doing half as well as they did last year. Bio-filter (85 gallon) which is just full of green, gummy, slimy crap constantly. I think I might be defeating my own purpose - have been rinsing out filter and media weekly - it gets that gummed up. Last year we only cleaned once. History: 2nd summer for pond. SIze 14'x12' Gallons: appx. 4200 Depth: 2 1/2 - 4' deep Fish 3 koi 6-7" 2 koi 3" Baby comets (maybe 40) from last year - (their mommies eaten by the heron) Waterfall and spitter Full sun Thanks for any ideas, suggestions. I didn't want to add chemicals to the pond, but I'm ready too now. What works? I have been using BZT, no help, no change. Thanks, Cathy |
Still green....
Cathy is your water green or is floating algae you problem?
I'd recommend two things: Clean out as much algae/debris you can. Stop feeding your fish for 2 weeks. See if you see an improvement. If your water is green get a UV filter. They're expensive but once you have one you will not know how you lived without one. I know I can't live without mine. Sam "Szpond" wrote in message ... I've written for suggestions before, and have tried them all...but, I STILL have a nasty, green pond. I had clear water for 1 week since spring. I'm really discouraged and do not know what to do. I had that "floating" algae for over a month, that has stopped, but I still can't see my fish. Plenty of plants, although they are not doing half as well as they did last year. Bio-filter (85 gallon) which is just full of green, gummy, slimy crap constantly. I think I might be defeating my own purpose - have been rinsing out filter and media weekly - it gets that gummed up. Last year we only cleaned once. History: 2nd summer for pond. SIze 14'x12' Gallons: appx. 4200 Depth: 2 1/2 - 4' deep Fish 3 koi 6-7" 2 koi 3" Baby comets (maybe 40) from last year - (their mommies eaten by the heron) Waterfall and spitter Full sun Thanks for any ideas, suggestions. I didn't want to add chemicals to the pond, but I'm ready too now. What works? I have been using BZT, no help, no change. Thanks, Cathy |
Still green....
You could add floating plants for shade. Ours is at least half covered and
we've got clear water. My husband complains about seeing the fish, but just push it out of the way and enjoy. -------------------------------------- Subject: Still green.... From: (Szpond) Date: 08/28/2003 4:30 AM Pacific Standard Time Message-id: I've written for suggestions before, and have tried them all...but, I STILL have a nasty, green pond. I had clear water for 1 week since spring. I'm really discouraged and do not know what to do. I had that "floating" algae for over a month, that has stopped, but I still can't see my fish. Plenty of plants, although they are not doing half as well as they did last year. Bio-filter (85 gallon) which is just full of green, gummy, slimy crap constantly. I think I might be defeating my own purpose - have been rinsing out filter and media weekly - it gets that gummed up. Last year we only cleaned once. History: 2nd summer for pond. SIze 14'x12' Gallons: appx. 4200 Depth: 2 1/2 - 4' deep Fish 3 koi 6-7" 2 koi 3" Baby comets (maybe 40) from last year - (their mommies eaten by the heron) Waterfall and spitter Full sun Thanks for any ideas, suggestions. I didn't want to add chemicals to the pond, but I'm ready too now. What works? I have been using BZT, no help, no change. Thanks, Cathy |
Still green....
Here are my 2 cents only because I think I went through the same thing.
I could see 3 inches into the water and the plants were feeble at best. first of all, no matter what, the fish like the algae, they're happy, so be happy. By washing your filter out every week you're washing off the bacteria that will help kill the algae. You're also washing off the other bacteria that remove the ammonia, but since you have such a small number of fish that probably doesn't matter. If you want to know what I'm talking about with regard to bacteria killing algae take a look at http://www.koiclubsandiego.org/GRENH2O.html. This seems to explain what is going on with my pond, even though nobody else seems to talk about this. I have a prefilter to catch the gunk. I have a contraption with a 4' x 4' piece of nylon batting that I run the water through before it get's to my filter. I rinse the batting out once a week and it has a ton of green gunk in it. I have it set up so I can tell when it's getting full. What kind of filter media do you have? I used to have something like pea gravel (only much smaller) and it plugged up with the green crud. I replaced it with media that has more open space in it. I use straws. Strapping tape and stuff like that would work well. It took a month for the filter to mature and help clean the algae out. My pond is oscillating now. Some days I can see 2 feet down, some days clear to the bottom (3 ft). I figure anything beyond 1.5 feet is gravy because I can see the fish fine. My plants are doing much better. I'm hoping some day I'll have enough plants that are healthy enough that the green gunk in the prefilter won't be a problem anymore. Good luck. Matt Szpond wrote: I've written for suggestions before, and have tried them all...but, I STILL have a nasty, green pond. I had clear water for 1 week since spring. I'm really discouraged and do not know what to do. I had that "floating" algae for over a month, that has stopped, but I still can't see my fish. Plenty of plants, although they are not doing half as well as they did last year. Bio-filter (85 gallon) which is just full of green, gummy, slimy crap constantly. I think I might be defeating my own purpose - have been rinsing out filter and media weekly - it gets that gummed up. Last year we only cleaned once. History: 2nd summer for pond. SIze 14'x12' Gallons: appx. 4200 Depth: 2 1/2 - 4' deep Fish 3 koi 6-7" 2 koi 3" Baby comets (maybe 40) from last year - (their mommies eaten by the heron) Waterfall and spitter Full sun Thanks for any ideas, suggestions. I didn't want to add chemicals to the pond, but I'm ready too now. What works? I have been using BZT, no help, no change. Thanks, Cathy |
Still green....
Nutrients for algae are sun, new water, fish waste, fertilized run off, rotting
plants, blown in dirt. Dry to reduce or eliminate one or more of these. I agree with Ingrid, try shading the pond. k30a and the watergardening labradors http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html |
Still green....
"Szpond" wrote in message ... I've written for suggestions before, and have tried them all...but, I STILL have a nasty, green pond. I had clear water for 1 week since spring. I'm really discouraged and do not know what to do. I had that "floating" algae for over a month, that has stopped, but I still can't see my fish. Plenty of plants, although they are not doing half as well as they did last year. Bio-filter (85 gallon) which is just full of green, gummy, slimy crap constantly. I think I might be defeating my own purpose - have been rinsing out filter and media weekly - it gets that gummed up. Last year we only cleaned once. History: 2nd summer for pond. SIze 14'x12' Gallons: appx. 4200 Depth: 2 1/2 - 4' deep Fish 3 koi 6-7" 2 koi 3" Baby comets (maybe 40) from last year - (their mommies eaten by the heron) Waterfall and spitter Full sun 85 gallons seems like a small filter for 4200 gallons... ....stop feeding fish ....add floating plants to compete with algae and to shade pond a bit ....my understanding is that bzt eats mulm...maybe you are feeding your algae blooms with dead mulm...stop bzt for awhile BV. |
Still green....
Szpond wrote:
I've written for suggestions before, and have tried them all...but, I STILL have a nasty, green pond. I had clear water for 1 week since spring. I'm really discouraged and do not know what to do. I had that "floating" algae for over a month, that has stopped, but I still can't see my fish. Plenty of plants, although they are not doing half as well as they did last year. Bio-filter (85 gallon) which is just full of green, gummy, slimy crap constantly. I think I might be defeating my own purpose - have been rinsing out filter and media weekly - it gets that gummed up. Last year we only cleaned once. This may be obvious but I take it you're cleaning the filters with pond/de-chorinated water and not tap water? -- Matt Helliwell www.helliwell.me.uk matt at helliwell dot me dot uk |
Still green....
not if this is the gross or mechanical filter, and not even if it is the biofilter as
long as treated water is used. the biobugs adhere in colonies to the filter material. what is normally rinsed off is the mulm and silt that are covering the colonies and keeping oxygen from them. Ingrid MattR wrote: By washing your filter out every week you're washing off the bacteria that will help kill the algae. You're also washing off the other bacteria that remove the ammonia, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List http://puregold.aquaria.net/ www.drsolo.com Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make. |
Still green....
I was thinking of the green gunk I see, in which case the water has to
be under pressure and probably comes from a hose. I suppose this might not be the case. Then again, if the media is full of gunk, where's the bacteria going to sit where it's not smothered by gunk and is in contact with passing water? Matt wrote: not if this is the gross or mechanical filter, and not even if it is the biofilter as long as treated water is used. the biobugs adhere in colonies to the filter material. what is normally rinsed off is the mulm and silt that are covering the colonies and keeping oxygen from them. Ingrid MattR wrote: By washing your filter out every week you're washing off the bacteria that will help kill the algae. You're also washing off the other bacteria that remove the ammonia, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List http://puregold.aquaria.net/ www.drsolo.com Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make. |
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